Water-heater.



A. L. GASSETT.

WATER HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED nac.2a. 1914.

7 1,149,576. Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

A. L. GASSETT.

WATER HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED vac. 28. 1914.

1,149,576. Patented An 10, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I Zia/520w? Q was if m a m COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH CO.,\\'ASHINGTON, D c.

" i5 OFFTQE.

ARTHUR L. GASSETT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

WATER-HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

Application filed December as, 1914. Serial in. 879,417.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR L. GAssnTT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Water-Heaters, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to that class of water heaters which comprisedouble wall casings and between the walls whereof water is adapted to becirculated in a comparatively thin body and subjected to the influenceof a heating device, such as a gas burner, that is arranged to dischargeits heat, or products of combustion, into the casing.

My invention has for its object the-provision of a water heater of theabove nature that is extremely eiiicient; that can be readily cleaned;that may be very easily assembled and dis-assembled; that may bemanufactured in various sizes and capacities by means of the sameequipment; wherein the heating device or burner is supported in suchmanner as to insure the proper location thereof, with respect to thecasing, and

facilitate its removal therefrom; and wherein provision is made for theliberation of undue internal pressure resulting from an explosion ofaccumulated gas within the casing, thereby relieving the casing of theshock or strain which would otherwise be caused by such an explosion.

The foregoing objects, and others which will become apparent as thisdescription proceeds, are attained in a water heater constructed inaccordance with the accompany ing drawings, wherein Figure 1 is aperspective view of the water heater; Fig. 2 is a central verticalsection thereof; Fig. 3 is a perspective of the burner casing; Fig. l isa similar view of one of the drum sections; and Fig. 5 isa sectionaldetail on line 55 of Fig. 2.

The water heater is supported upon a pedestal comprising a foot or base1 from which rises a post 2, which post may consist of a tube, and theupper end of the post is threaded for the reception of the boss 8 of anelbow 4. A water supply pipe 5 is threaded into the lateral branch ofthis elbow, and the lower end of what I willterm the ingress pipe 6 isthreaded in the vertically disposed branch thereof. Applied to thethreaded, upper end of the ingress pipe is the lowest of a series ofdrum sections, the same being designated 7.

V Thedrum section just referred to comprises a cylindrical wall, towhich the reference numeral 7 is applied, and the upper edge' of suchwall is ground, or otherwise treated, to produce a frusto conicalextension 8, while the opposite or lower edge of said wall is providedwith a tapered seat 9, of the same inclination as the frusto conicalportion 8. A conduit 10 extends diametrically across the drum sectionand opens through its cylindrical wall and a boss 11 depends from thecentral portion of the conduit 10 and is internally threaded for thereception of the threaded upper end of the ingress pipe, as abovedescribed.

Superimposed upon the lower drum section 7 area number of what I willrefer to hereinafter as intermediate drum sections 15, each comprising acylindrical wall, to

which the numeral 15 is applied, and a diametrically disposed conduit16, similar to the conduit 10 of the section 7, the same opening at eachend through the wall 15. Projecting at substantially right angles fromthe outer surface of the wall 15, and in substantially the plane of theconduit 16, is a baffle 17 the same being shown clearly in Fig. 4wherein it will be seen that the baffie is interrupted at the pointwhere the conduit 16 opens through the wall of the drum section. Theupper edge of each of the intermediate sections is formed with a frustoconlcal extension 18, while its lower edge is provided with a similarlyshaped seat 19;

F ittinguponthe conical extension 18 of the top lntermediate section, isthe tapered seat 20 of the vertical wall 21 of the uppermost drumsection of the series. A conduit 22 extends diametrlcally across itssection and opens at its end through the wall 21, and rising from theconduit is a boss 23 that is the base ring having a frusto-conicalextension 33 arranged to be received by the tapered seat 9 of said drumsection.

It will thus be seen that a drum is formed by assembling the varioussections as above described, and binding them firmly together by meansof the tie rods 26, the interfitting edges of the adjacent partsproviding watertight joints, and, if found desirable, some sort ofsealing material, such as white lead, may be used between theinterfitting edges to insure such joints against leakage.

From Fig. 2 it will be observed that the base ring 31 (with itshorizontal portion to which the reference numeral 31 is applied, itsfrusto conical extension 33, and its vertical flange 34 that is spacedfrom and substantially parallel with the extension 33) is of channelformation and is arranged to receive the lower edge of a shell or casing35, preferably formed of sheet metal. A ring of packing material 36 isfirmly compressed between the outer surface of the shell 35, adjacentits lower edge, and the opposed Wall of the vertical flange 34 of thebase ring 31, by a gland ring 37, which is adapted to be drawn downwardby cap screws 38 which pass freely through ears 39 that extend radiallyfrom the ring 37 and are threaded into similar cars 40 of the base ring.By this means a water-tight joint is formed between the lower end of theshell 35 and the base ring 31. Adjacent its opposite end, the shell 35is provided with an internal shoulder 43, the same being preferablyformed by pressing the material of the shell inward; and a ring ofpacking material 4-4 is wedged be tween said shoulder and the opposedwall of the upper drum section by means of a follower or gland ring 45that is engaged and forced downward by a top or cap 46, said cap ortophaving a substantially horizontal portion 47 for cotiperation withthe upper edge of said ring. This cap is also provided with a dependingperipheral flange 48 which embraces the upper end of the shell 35, andwithin the boundary of its horizontal portion, the cap 46 is curvedupward into a dome that terminates in a vertical collar 49.

Surmounting the cap 46 is a cupola 50, the lower edge of which fits overthe collar 49 of the cap. To a lateral outlet extension 51 of the cupolais applied the end of a flue pipe 52, and substantially central of thecupola,

its upper wall is provided with an aperture 53, through which the egresspipe 24 passes. It will be observed, particularly from Fig. 1 that thehorizontal portion 47 of the cap 46 cuts into the dome shaped portionthereof at points about its circumference, to provide recesses for theaccommodation of nuts 55 that are applied to the upper ends of the tierods 26, and by means of which the cap may be drawn down into firmcontact with the gland ring 45 and cause said ring to wedge the packingmaterial into engagement with the opposed walls of the shell and drum,thereby to form an effective water-tight joint.

The burner casing, shown in detail in Fig.

3, is suspended from and attached to the lugs 61 that depend from theunder side of the base ring 31, by means of cotter pins 62, which passthrough the alining apertures of the casing and said lugs. The casingcomprises a cylindrical portion 63, from the lower edge of which isspaced and suspended a basin 64, by means of the strap 65, all of suchparts being preferably formed of an integral casting. It will beobserved from Figs. 2 and 3, that the apertures 66 in the basin 64 aresurrounded by upwardly extending beads, as is also the notch 67 whichextends inward from the periphery of the basin, to slightly beyond thecenter thereof. This notch makes it possible to apply the burner casingto the water heaterafter the same has been assembled, without having todisturb the inlet connection. Because of the presence of the aforesaidbeads, any water which may accumulate within the basin 64 by reason ofcondensation, will be prevented from dripping through the apertures 66or notch 67 thereof, and will be evaporated by the heat of the burner.It will be noted that a segment of the cylindrical portion 63 of thecasing is hinged at 69, to the stationary portion thereof, to form adoor 68, the same being provided with a spring latch 70 for cotiperationwith a keeper 71 that extends from the side of the casing. Because ofthe nature of this latch, the door 68 may very easily be opened byexcessive internal pressure such as might be caused by the explosion ofgas within the casing.

A gas burner is shown at 75, (in Fig. 2) as located within the casing60, and said burner is formed so as to straddle the ingress pipe 6 andbe removable laterally therefrom; and depending from the burner is aboss 76 which receives the upper end of a tube 77 of a mixer 78. Asshown in detail in Fig. 5, a wing 79 extends from each side of the boss76, and these wings are arranged to be received by recesses 80 that openfrom the opposite sides of the notch 76 and are formed in dependingbosses 81 of the basin 64. In this manner the burner is supported in anupright, horizontal position and in proper alinement with the drum ofthe heater. It will be mentioned that the wings 79 of the burner aretapered, and that the recesses which receive them are similarly shaped,to facilitate removal of the burner.

A gas valve 8:2 is supported by the bracket 83, from the post and hasconnection at its upper end with the mixer 78. The lower end of thevalve is connected to the gas supply pipe 84.

When water is turned into the supply pipe 5, it rises through theingress pipe into the conduit 10 and flows in both directions to thespace between the shell 25 and the opposed wall of the drum. Risingwithin said space, it is distributed in a thin body throughout thecasingand within the various conduits l6 and 22, from the upper of whichit finds its way to the egress plpe 24. The products of combustion fromthe burner 7 5 rise within the drum and circulate about the conduits 10,16 and 22, finally escaping through the cupola and flue pipe. The waterin the heater, and especially that within the conduits of the drum, isquickly heated; and to cause it to take a rather tortuous course as itrises through the heater, adjacent drum sections are turned with theirrespective conduits at right angles to each other, and this arrangementplaces the openings in the baiiies 17, 90 apart about the circumferenceof the drum. Because of this the water rises from the open ends of theinlet conduit 10 until it is defiected by the first of the baffles 17 tothe vicinity of the open ends of the conduit 16 of the lowestintermediate drum section. From here it rises to the elevation of thenext baffle 17, where it is again deflected laterally to the region ofends of the conduit of the second intermediate section, and so on to thetop of the heater. Also the products of combustion are caused totraverse a more or less tortuous course about the conduits of the drum.

When it is desired to clean the heater of sediment which shall haveaccumulated therein, such may be easily accomplished by simply removingthe flue pipe from the cupola and the nuts 55 from the upper ends of thetie rods 26. Now by sliding the cupola and the cap 46, together with thegland ring 45 upward along the egress pipe, the shell 35 may be entirelyremoved from the drum, and the exterior of the drum thoroughly scrubbedand the conduits cleaned out.

While the very substantial construction of the heater would enable it toWithstand an explosion of a quantity of gas equal to the capacity of itscombustion chamber, means are provided for liberating excessive internalpressure that might be caused by an explosion of such gas, by making aportion of the burner casing removable, as previ ously set forth. Uponthe accumulation of gas within the casing, which might result from theburner being put out, and -a subsequent lighting thereof, the force ofthe explosion will open the doors 68, the catch of the door being ofsuch nature, as hereinbefore described, as to allow of such action.Furthermore, if it is desired to remove the burner. for any reason, thedoor 68 may be opened and the burner elevated to withdraw its wingportions 79 from the recesses 80 when the burner may be lifted out ofits casing and away from the ingress pipe 60, it being understood thatthe mixer 78 has a slip joint connection with the valve 80, according tousual practice.

I have hereinbefore made mention of the fact that the size or capacityof my heater may be increased without increasing the cost of itsmanufacture, for the reason that no extra equipment is necessary formaking the heater in various sizes or capacities. Therefore, if a heaterof greater capacity than that shown in the drawings should be desired,it may be obtained by inserting any number of the intermediate drumsections, increasing the length of the shell 85 to correspond to theincrease in the length of the drum, and likewise lengthening the tierods 26. The only additional cost in the production of larger heatersis, therefore, that of the additional material required, for the largerheater requires no more work in assembling.

While I have shown in the accompanying drawings a very practicalembodiment of my invention, the construction shown therein is to beunderstood to be illustrative only, and not as defining the limits of myinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a water heater, the combination of a shell, a drum comprising aseries of superimposed sections fitted together to form a wall that isspaced from the shell, the section at one end of the series having aninlet and the one at the opposite end an outlet connection, sealingmeans between the ends of the drum and shell, and a heating devicelocated in operative relation to the drum and shell.

, 2. In a water heater, the combination of a shell, a drum comprising aseries of superimposed sections fitted together to form a wall that isspaced from the shell, sealing means between the ends of the drum andshell, the space thus inclosed having at one end an inlet, and at theopposite end an out let opening whereby water may be circulated throughsuch space, and a heating device located in operative relation to thedrum and shell.

3. In a water heater, the combination of a shell, a drum comprising awall and a series of conduits which extends diametrically across thedrum and open at their ends into the space between the drum and shell,sealing means between the ends of the drum and shell, the space thusinclosed having an inlet and an outlet, and a combustion device 10-clatefil in operative relation to the drum and s e 4. In a water heater,the combination of a shell, a drum comprising a series of superimposedsections fitted together to form a wall that is spaced from the shell,each end section of the series having a conduit which extendsdiametrically across the section and opens at its ends into the spacebetween the drum and shell, the conduit of one of said sections havingan inlet, and the conduit of the other an outlet connection, sealingmeans between the ends of the drum and shell, and a heating devicelocated in operative relation to the drum and shell.

5. In a water heater, the combination of a shell, a drum within saidshell and comprising a series of superimposed sections, fitted togetherto form a wall that is spaced from the shell, each section having aconduit which extends diametrically across the section and opens at eachend into the space between the drum and shell, the conduit of one of theend sections having an inlet and the conduit of the opposite end sectionan outlet connection, sealing means between the ends of the drum andshell, and a heating device located in operative relation to the drum.

6. In a water heater, the combination of a shell, a drum within theshell and comprising a series of superimposed sections fitted togetherto form a wall that is spaced from the shell, each section having aconduit which extends diametrically across the section and opens at itsends into the space be tween the drum and shell, the conduits ofadjacent sections being arranged at different angles with respect toeach other, the conduit of one of the end sections having an inlet andthe conduit of the opposite end section an outlet connection, sealingmeans between the ends of the drum and shell, and a heating devicelocatedin operative relation to the drum.

7. In a water heater, the combination of a shell, a drum within theshell and comprising a series of superimposed sections fitted togetherto form a wall that is spaced from the shell, each section having aconduit which extends diametrically across the section and opens at itsends into the space between the shell and drum, the conduits of adjacentsections being arranged at difi'erent angles with respect to each other,sealing means between the ends of the drum and shell, the space thusinclosed having at one of its ends an inlet and at its opposite end anoutlet, and a heating device located in operative re lation to the drum.

8. In a water heater, the combination of a base member, a drumcomprising a series of superimposed sections supported by the basemember, means for securing together the base member and the end sectionof the series farthest removed therefrom, a shell spaced from the drumand supported by the base member, sealing means between one end of theshell and the base member and between the opposite end of the shell andand an outlet, and a heating device located in operative relation to thedrum.

10. In a water heater, the combination of a shell, a drum comprising aseries of superimposed sections having interfitting portions and forminga wall that is spaced from the shell, a member for application to oneend of the drum and having a portion interfitting with the adjacent drumsection and a portion cooperating with the end of the shell, sealingmeans between said member and said end of the shell, means for sealingthe space between the opposite end of the shell and the drum, the spacebetween the drum and shell having an inlet and an outlet, means forsecuring together the aforesaid member and the end section of the seriesthat is farthest removed from said member, and a heating device locatedin operative relation to the drum.

11. In a water heater, the combination of a shell, a drum within theshell and comprising a series of superimposed sections havinginter-fitting portions and forming a wall that is spaced from the shell,each section having a conduit which extends diametrically across thesection and opens at each end into the space between the shell and thedrum, the conduits of adjacent sections being arranged at the differentangles with respect to each other, the conduit of one of the endsections having an inlet and the conduit of the opposite end section anoutlet connection, a member for application to one end of the drum, saidmember and the adjacent drum section having interfitting portions, meansfor securing together said member and the drum section at the oppositeend of the drum, sealing means between the aforesaid member and theadjacent end of the shell, means for sealing the space between theopposite end of the shell and the drum, and a heating device located inoperative relation to the drum.

12. In a water heater, the combination of a shell, a drum within theshell and comprising a series of superimposed sections havinginterfitting portions and forming a wall that is spaced from the shell,each section having a conduit which extends diametrically across thesection and opens at each end into the space between the shell and drum,the conduit of the section at one end of the series having an inlet, andthe conduit of the opposite end section an outlet connection, a memberfor application to one end of the drum, said member and the adjacentdrum section having interfitting portions, connections between saidmember and the end section of the drum farthest removed therefrom,sealing means between the aforesaid member and the adjacent end of theshell, a member for application to the opposite end of the shell anddrum, means for securing said member to the drum, sealing means betweenthe last mentioned end of the shell and drum, and a heating devicearranged in operative relation to the drum.

13. In a water heater, the combination of a shell having an inwardlyextending shoulder adjacent its upper end, a drum within the shell, abase ring for application to the lower ends of the drum and shell, thebase ring having a peripheral flange which extends about the lower endof the shell, a packing device for sealing the joint between the shelland the base ring, a cap for application to the upper ends of the drumand shell, a packing device between the shell and drum adjacent theaforesaid shoulder, said packing device cooperating with the cap, meansfor drawing the cap and base ring toward each other, the space betweenthe shell and drum having an inlet and an outlet, and a heating devicelocated in operative relation to the drum.

14. In a water heater, the combination of a pair of casing members, eachhaving a portion which is spaced from and substantially parallel to aportion of the other, one of said members having an abutment adjacentits respective portion aforesaid, a packing element between saidportions, means for pressing said packing element against the aforesaidportions of the casing members and into contact with the abutment, and aheating device located in operative relation to the casing.

15. In a water heater, the combination of an inner and outer cylindricalcasing member, each having a portion adjacent each of its ends that isparallel to the longitudinal axis of said member and is spaced from thecorresponding portion of the other memher, an abutment located adjacenteach pair of the aforesaid opposed portions of the casing members, apacking element between each pair of opposed portions, and means forpressing the packing element against said portions and into contact withthe adjacent abutment.

16. In a water heater, the combination of a shell, a drum within theshell and comprising a wall that is spaced from the shell, a member forapplication to one end of the drum, tie rods connecting said member andthe drum, said tie rods extending beyond the opposite end of the drumand being threaded, sealing means between the aforesaid member and theadjacent end of the shell, a member for application to the opposite endof the shell and drum and having apertures through which the aforesaidtie rods extend, nuts on the tie rods for securing said member to thedrum, sealing means between the last mentioned end of the shell and drumand having cooperation with the last mentioned member, the space betweenthe drum and shell having an inlet and an outlet, and a heating devicearranged in operative relation to the drum.

17. In a water heater, the combination of a shell, a drum within theshell and comprising a series of superimposed sections havinginterfitting portions and forming a wall that is spaced from the shell,each section having a conduit which extends diametrically across thesection and opens at each end into the space between the shell and drum,the conduit of the section at one end of the series having an inlet andthe conduit of the opposite end section an outlet connection, a memberfor application to one end of the drum, said member and the adjacentdrum section having interfitting portions, tie rods connecting saidmember and the end section of the drum farthest removed therefrom, saidtie rods extending beyond the end section, sealing means between theaforesaid member and the adj acent end of the shell, a member forapplication to the opposite end of the shell and drum and havingapertures through which the aforesaid tie rods extend, nuts on the tierods for securing said member to the drum, sealing means between thelast mentioned end of the shell and drum and having cooperation with thelast mentioned member, and a heating device arranged in operativerelation to the drum.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

ARTHUR I1. GASSETT.

Witnesses:

BRENNAN B. Wns'r, HUGH B. MGGILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Gommissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0.

